


Water and Bruises

by WitchyWitchBoy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Bed-Wetting, Diapers, Gen, Humiliation, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Injury Recovery, Omorashi, Pee, Wetting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2018-11-06 14:40:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11038251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WitchyWitchBoy/pseuds/WitchyWitchBoy
Summary: When the healing pods malfunction, the team set out to an unknown planet in order to find the metals necessary to repair them. However when Lance crashes on that mission, he is forced to recover from his injuries naturally but suddenly starts to develop a rather embarrassing problem as he heals. Fearing that his friends would laugh at him, Lance attempts to hide his problem but only worries his teammates further.





	1. Chapter 1

It was Keith's fault.

It didn't matter if no one believed him. Lance knew the truth. No one seemed to accept that truth, however, because Lance was the one to get hurt, not Keith.

It was suppose to be a simple recon mission. They were investigating a nearby dwarf planet in hopes of finding a rare metal. A few days prior, the health bay had some kind of glitch in its system, which caused all of the healing pods within to short circuit. The pods were already internally damaged from the heat by the time Pidge smelled something and went to investigate. Lance described it as "burning popcorn".

Hunk and Coran went to work fixing such a critical part of the castle. After a few hours, Coran stated that they were going to need to a little more than some TLC. The inner machinery of the pods had melted together. In order to repair it, they were going to need a special metal that used to be abundant on Altea. They could only be found on dwarfs that surrounded the planet now. Allura expressed concern about the paladins going on missions without healing pods, so the team decided that fixing the medical bay was priority number one.

Fortunately, after a few hours of searching and scanning, the team was able to locate a planet that was likely to have the metal.

Unfortunately, as the team took their lions to the surface of the rocky planet, the Galra attacked.

The battle was going well until Lance rammed the blue lion into a ship three times its size, making it bounce off the surface and fall into a few others. The attack was successful, but it caused the blue lion to lose control and crash violently onto the planet.

Witnessing the collision, Keith called out for him over the intercom. He received no answer. Shiro feared the worst and told Keith to check on him while they took care of the Galra. The red paladin rushed to the blue lion's side. He found the cockpit's windshield smashed and Lance unconscious. The team was quick to the rescue. Upon entering the lion, they discovered Lance’s helmet was cracked. Keith was the first one to get inside the blue lion and found Lance beginning to stir. 

Although Lance began to wake up when they found him, he was still loopy until they managed to pull him and his lion back to the castle. With no healing pods, they had to improvise. The team’s eyes were on Hunk as he hovered over Lance. He attempted to create a sling out of discarded elastic and cloth for Lance’s injured shoulder. All Lance could do was stare at the floor and lick at his suddenly dry mouth as his head spun. Lance huffed in annoyance, trying to keep his face from turning red. This was Keith's fault, not his.

"Eeeh…" Hunk hesitantly moved away from Lance with his hands still close by. "That should hold his shoulder in place until we can do something better."

"It’s not even that bad." Lance said under his breath.

"Shiro said he's pretty sure that it’s fractured." Pidge spat. "It's kinda bad.”

Shiro stood in front of him with his arms crossed firmly, his glare of disappointment kept Lance staring down at the floor. It wasn’t a secret that Lance looked like a mess right now, but the team surrounding and fussing over him made him feel worse. At this point, he just wanted to sleep, but he couldn't imagine that happening anytime soon. A nearby beeping made everyone look away (to Lance's relief). Coran looked up from the control panel he was watching over with a relieved expression.

"Good news," Coran chirped, "The scans aren't showing any type of toxicity in his system. I suppose the air wasn't as bad as we believed."

A small weight was lifted off of Lance's aching chest at the news. He saw Shiro nod in a stern manner. 

"Thanks, Coran" Shiro said before looking back at Lance. "You're lucky you weren't seriously hurt. What were you thinking?"

"Keith was doing it too…" Lance mumbled.

Shiro was quick to retort. "Doesn't matter, you were acting reckless."

Lance winced slightly and looked back down at his feet, giving another lick to his dry lips. He couldn't argue with that, at least not when he was feeling this crappy, but that didn’t stop Shiro.

"I saw the dive you took toward that group of Galra ships! You know better than to rush into a hoard like that!" Shiro said, exasperated. "You can't be acting like this when we don't have healing pods!”

Lance remained silent with a pout. Keith was doing the exact same thing during battle, and Lance just wanted to match his speed. Apparently Shiro saw none of that. A small feeling of anger bubbled in Lance's chest, but he knew it wasn't fair to direct it at the team. Shiro was just worried, right?

"Well…like you said, it could have been worse." Allura spoke gently as she walked up next to Shiro. "An injured shoulder, some bruises, and lacerations. He'll just have to wait out these injuries without the pods.”

"Oh it's nothing," Lance immediately spoke up, "I once had two arms broken at the same time, so this will be a cake walk!!" He broke out into his usual goofy grin as Hunk and Pidge groaned. The smile didn’t help; the annoyed expression didn't leave Shiro's face. The older man instead sighed heavily.

"Let's just get him bandaged and we’ll all go to bed. I think we need it."

"Oh, I can take care of that." Coran piped up quickly, pulling out a roll of bandages. He frowned at the makeshift sling around Lance. "I'm going to look for a better immobilizer too."

Shiro nodded wordlessly at the Altean and walked toward the exit. "Get to sleep, everyone. We’ll regroup tomorrow and make a new plan." Before anyone could respond, Shiro was gone.

Lance's heart sank again. "Shiro is never this dismissive..." Lance thought to himself as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His body still ached from the bruising. Out of the corner of his eye, Lance saw Keith quickly follow Shiro out of the room. Realizing that Keith hadn't said a single word throughout the conversation, Lance frowned deeply with another twinge of anger.

"Ass…" He mumbled as he hunched forward, but quickly felt a surge of pain throughout his spine and ribs. "Ahh!" Lance exclaimed, sitting upright.

"Be careful, Lance." Coran said, kneeling in front of him and readying the bandages. "You have some nasty injuries. I would focus on that posture of yours."

"Finally, you can fix that hunchback." Pidge joked, which prompted a short chuckle from Hunk.

Allura sighed. "We need to get these pods fixed…" She ran a finger through her hair. Lance's chest tightened again and he looked back at the door; Shiro's disappointed voice was still ringing in his ears. His stomach flipped slightly.

***

Lance's insides wouldn’t stop twisting and turning. He found himself groaning with a hand on his stomach in his bed. It didn't necessarily hurt; it felt more felt like butterflies were jittering about. The persistent dryness in his mouth didn't help him feel better either. Lance ran his bandaged fingers through his tangled hair, wincing when he felt the bruising on his side twinge. He tried his hardest not to show it earlier, but he was in quite a bit of pain. That wasn't a surprise given the state of his body. He always hated looking like a mess in front of others. That's what he was right now though: a bandaged mess.

"I won't be able to shoot my bayard…" He mumbled to himself, glancing over at his shoulder. Lance sighed and attempted to turn on his side, but was quickly stopped by another ache in his ribs. He couldn't even sleep the way he wanted? With another huff, Lance laid flat on his back again."Quiznak."

Lance just wanted to sleep and forget that today ever happened. He wanted to forget Shiro's disappointed face and Keith's dismissive attitude. Maybe, by the will of some space god, he would be healed by tomorrow. While in thought, Lance reached to his side with his good arm and gripped the water pouch he took from the kitchen earlier. He brought it to his lips, but found it empty. Already? This must've been his second, but he still felt thirsty. Being prepared, he grabbed the last water pouch from his side table and quietly began to suck on it, finally finding some relief for his dry mouth.

Nearing the end of his pouch, Lance's eyes began to droop. He wasn't in the mood to put on his nightly face mask and he decided to simply allow sleep to take over.

***

The world felt foggy and Lance's body had never felt heavier. A dull ache rang through his limbs, which forced him to stir in his sleep until he finally cracked open his eyes. An involuntary groan passed his chapped lips as Lance realized that the space gods did not answer his pleas for a quick recovery. Lance blinked slowly a few times as the grogginess began to lift from his body. Moaning again from the slight ache in his shoulder, he drew back one of his legs and felt something off as his thighs brushed together. A chill wetness.

After a brief moment of confusion, Lance reached down carefully and brushed his fingers against his damp pajamas. Popping his eyes open in realization, Lance shot upward, ignoring the protests of his bruises. He gripped his crotch tighter to confirm…yup. It was wet. That was when the distinct odor assaulted his nostrils and he let out a sharp gag. Pee. It was pee.


	2. Chapter 2

Lance instantly jerked his hand back in disgust when he realized what was soaked into his pajama pants. The sudden shift on the mattress made Lance lean into an even larger wet spot under his body. His heart sank and he quickly scrambled out of bed. He felt a sharp pain in his shoulder from the abrupt movement. His bruises ached alongside it. He let out a loud groan and his body began to shake. Another breeze hit the damp crotch of his sweatpants and sent intense shivers through his already sore body. With another groan, he shakily looked down and assessed the damage. His pajama pants sagged heavily with urine. Random patches clung to his inner thighs. He could feel the lower part of his shirt sticking to his back too. Imagining the amount of pee it would have taken to reach back there made Lance’s face heat up in embarrassment. The question of how much was answered when he looked down at the bed. A new wave of humiliation hit him. There was a large wet patch right in the center that resembled a man-made lake. He stared at the stain in disbelief, until he finally let out a loud noise of aggravation.

"Seriously!? As if my week wasn't freaking bad enough…" Lance mumbled through pouted lips. His body felt like it was chewed up by a garbage disposal, and now his bladder decided to suddenly turn on him. He didn't get it. He's never wet the bed before; that was always his baby sister's job in the family. While in thought, the corner of his eye caught the empty water pouches surrounding his bed, and it clicked. Lance sighed again. "Guess I shouldn't have drank so much…" 

Lance tugged at his damp pjs with his good arm. They were starting to itch and irritate his legs. The smell was only getting worse too. Everything about this sucked, but Lance took a calming breath.

_At least no one on the team knows about this. Especially Keith. Screw Keith._

If they knew about this on top of the stunt he pulled yesterday, Lance would never live it down. A small ripple of shame rang through his chest as he stared at the stain. Everyone already thought he was an idiot; he didn't want to be the idiot who wets the bed too.

Lance quickly shook his head, trying to dismiss that thought. No one hated him, he was just being overdramatic. He wasn't a bedwetter either. This was just a one-time thing that no one ever had to know about. Ever. It was because he had too much water. That's it. He needed to destroy the evidence.

Lance sighed and looked down at his soaked pants, he needed to clean himself up first. Dragging himself into the bathroom, Lance bent over to tug down the sorry article of clothing. A harsh spark of pain flared up in his ribcage. Lance cried out in surprise and held his chest. His shoulder ached violently at the motion, which made his eyes well up with tears. This would be harder for him than he imagined. 

***

It took almost an hour, but Lance finally managed to get off his dirty clothes and sheets. He threw them into a pile in the corner. The most difficult part was cleaning himself off. Between his tender bruises, having to remove his dressings, and his shoulder fracture, it was almost impossible to bend over properly. He couldn’t clean his legs off without some part of his body screaming at him to stop. Showering was worse. He ended up laying flat on his back in the tub after finding it too hard to stand. Even as he went to lay on his stripped bed, he didn't feel completely clean. It was the best he could manage before exhausting himself. Everything ached right now, and he was ready to sleep again. His right shoulder felt like it was ringing, and putting on his sling seemed like pure torture in this state. Taking deep breaths, Lance tried to wait for it to pass.

He licked his lips mindlessly, realizing how dry his tongue was again. This is what got him in trouble in the first place. Lance swallowed painfully, but it didn't help at all. Slowly sitting up, he felt his back pop, and he lazily reached for the sling on his bedside table. He sighed as he remembered he needed to rebandage all of his wounds.

"Just get some water," Lance mumbled as he looked back at the dirty laundry in the corner, "…then I'll take care of that."

_I might as well wait,_ he thought. 

Coran was normally up early taking care of his morning duties, which included being Coran Coran, the laundry man. Lance needed to make sure that absolutely no one was around when he cleaned his clothes. Until then, he was going to forget the accident and carry on as normal. Another dull ache buzzed through Lance's shoulder, and he winced. 

_Ok, mostly normal._

***

"Your mouth has been glued to those straws all day. You need to remember to breathe, idiot."

Lance narrowed his eyes at Keith as he popped the water pouch's straw off of his lips. "Maybe I don't want to breathe because I don't want to smell any of that greasy mullet hair?"

"Oooh good one, Lance!!!" Hunk cheered happily as Lance stuck the straw back into mouth. Keith crossed his arms with an annoyed frown, staring down at the two of them on the couch. Pidge rolled her eyes at their petty fight and curled up tighter on her end of the couch with her tablet. The four of them had been relaxing in the castle's living room all day, since they suddenly had a lot of free time. It left them lost on what to do with themselves. Lance was relieved at the contrast in atmosphere compared to yesterday. Nobody seemed mad at him today. Even Hunk was cuddling up to him on the couch (though they couldn't lean on each other too much because of Lance's injuries, but he still appreciated the gesture). Pidge checked on his sling occasionally, mumbling that she needed to construct a better one. Keith was even picking a fight. Lance didn't necessarily like that, but it made everything feel normal. It almost made him forget about his earlier accident.

What didn’t change from yesterday, though, was the thirst that Lance couldn't seem to quench. In only two hours he went through four water pouches, but each sip was only a temporary relief. It didn’t take long for his mouth to feel as dry as a desert again, and he would need another gulp. It was making him paranoid that his body might betray him again. He shook his head and dismissed the thought. His night-time accident was a one-time deal, and as long he's awake and alert he should be fine. Still, Lance was paying close attention to his bladder.

Keith spoke up again. "Shouldn't you be lying down or something?"

"I got my full eight hours last night, Keith," Lance said.

"Keith has a point though," Hunk chimed in, looking at Lance with worry, "Don't push yourself too hard right now."

"I'm not, I'm not!!" Lance proclaimed. "Seriously, it's not a big deal. I'm as healthy as I've ever been! I bet I could bench press a Balmera right now!"

Hunk laughed as Keith rolled his eyes. Pidge finally glanced up from her tablet at Lance. "I don't think Shiro is letting you do anything like that anytime soon."

Lance's face dropped at the mention of their leader. He looked around the room, realizing that he hadn't seen Shiro all day. His heart sunk slightly. Was Shiro still angry at him? Is that why he hasn't seen him yet? Shiro was never one for grudges, but Lance was doubting that after yesterday.

"Where is Shiro anyway?" Although Hunk said it in a more cheerful way, he seemed to have read Lance's mind and vocalized what he was afraid of asking for himself.

Keith shrugged as he looked back at the door. "I think he’s talking to Allura about the pods and what our next move is to fix them."

 _Or he's just avoiding me._ Lance thought grimly to himself as he sunk back into the couch. Another jolt of pain spread across his back when he made contact with the cushion. He winced as his heart sunk further down. No wonder Shiro hated him; he couldn't even sit right because of his stunt. Lance sighed as the others started to talk amongst themselves about who-knows-what. He didn't care right then as he popped the straw back into his mouth.

He knew Shiro didn't actually hate him; he hoped he was just being over-sensitive. He came from a large family and community, then went down to only seven people in his life. After becoming a paladin, Lance became more conscious of how people thought about him. Out of all the people in the Castle of Lions, he hated disappointing Shiro the most. Keith was a close second, but Lance would never admit that out loud. Shiro was different though; Lance admired him before he even attended the Garrison. Shiro was the poster-child for the fighter class in the school. Lance instantly became enthralled with his skills and overall coolness just from reading the pamphlets about him. Lance wanted to be exactly like that, and was over the moon just seeing Shiro around the halls at the academy. He was his hero. He never talked to Shiro back then of course, because he knew he would end up putting his foot in his mouth. Now they were living together, and Lance still had the impulsive tendency to say whatever came to his mind (which is normally bad jokes or flirting). Lance didn't think that it annoyed Shiro too much, but what if what happened pushed him over the edge?

Lance started to bounce his leg, annoyed. It wasn't fair: Keith was doing the same thing, but that didn't change his position as a mini-Shiro. Why could he get away with anything? Lance started drumming his bandaged fingers on his lap. He looked over at Keith who was looking away from everyone else.

_Well of course Keith gets away with it. He’s one of the smoothest, most skilled pilots in the galaxy._

He was too skilled to want anything to do with Lance, which Lance accepted a long time ago. Picking fights with Keith was the next best way to get the attention he wanted from his teammate. It was better than Keith ignoring him like he did at the Garrison, and if Lance hated anything it was being ignored. Lance looked away from Keith.

He crossed his legs tightly, and wiggled his hips. A sudden heat rose up in Lance's cheeks as his lower abdomen shuddered violently. Lance didn't realize how tightly his legs were crossed or even how full his bladder was now. His hips shuddered again as another desperate warning. Lance instantly flung his good hand into his crotch and gripped himself tightly: it was still dry. The sudden motion got the attention of his other teammates. They all looked over at their shaking friend. Lance didn't waste any more time; he instantly stood up from the couch, holding his groin like a life-line. His water pouch fell from his mouth and crashed down onto the ground below, spilling everywhere.

"Holy quiznak, I have to pee!!!" Lance blurted out before speeding out of the room, hunched over in pain. The remaining teenagers in the room could only blink at his exit. 

"…God, he's weird." Keith said as Hunk laughed under his breath.

***

Lance quickly decided that he had to cut down on his water intake. It felt like every other minute, he was rushing to the bathroom with a sudden emergency. He couldn't help it though, the dryness in his mouth wasn't getting any better. By the time dinner rolled around, he had cut himself off from water and had gone two hours without it. His lips felt chapped, but he was getting tired of running around the castle. He laid his head down on the dining room table, ignoring his bruises aching in response. His makeshift brace wasn't helping much either. With all the running around he did that day, his right shoulder joint shifted way more than he thought it should while it's healing. Lance sighed. He wanted to be better as soon as possible.

"Excited for dinner, Lance?" Coran chuckled, carrying in a large steaming pot. He set it down on the long table and looked at him. "You're never the first one here."

"What can I say?" Lance laughed weakly. "I'm a sucker for green goo."

"Actually, we're having blue goo tonight."

"What?! I want my money back!!!" Lance playfully slammed his hand down onto the table. An unpleasant click sounded from his upper arm and Lance let out a sharp grunt. He froze up. Coran clicked his tongue, disappointed.

"What did I tell you, Lance?" Coran scolded as he started to set the table. "You need to be careful." 

Lance groaned. "It's only been a day and I already want to throw myself out a window."

"Oh, chin up, lad!" Coran patted Lance's back supportively, but only managed to send another painful jolt through his body. Lance cried out again, and Coran quickly retracted his hand. "Oh…sorry."

Lance mumbled miserably and laid his head back down on the table. He heard Coran faintly promise to get Lance a better brace, but he didn't care right then. He wanted the sweet embrace of death.

Everyone else started to pile into the room and take their seats at the table. Lance didn't lift his head, but heard Hunk and Pidge deep in some kind of nerd conversation. Coran gave Keith some kind of lecture on the importance of smiling. Lance peeked his head up to see if there was any sign of Shiro, but saw nothing. There was no Allura either.

Lance sighed to himself and pulled his plate of goo closer. He managed to awkwardly place a few spoonfuls in his mouth with his left hand before Allura and Shiro walked in together.

"There you two are!" Coran said in a chipper manner.

Allura nodded to him politely. "My apologies, Coran. Shiro and I were discussing some plans and time got away from us."

Lance lifted his head up and went rigid. He caught a glimpse of Shiro.

The older man noticed Lance looking at him and raised an eyebrow. 

"…Feeling better, Lance?" Shiro asked carefully.

Lance sprung up when he finally got his chance to talk to Shiro. He flashed a quick thumbs up at his leader and gave him a cocky smirk. "Right as rain, my dude." Lance smirked. "...Get it? Rain? My element is water."

Pidge rolled her eyes. Shiro didn't ever crack a smile. Instead he seemed to scan over Lance with a troubled expression. Lance's smile dropped. Shiro looked anything but happy right now.

“Y-You alright there, Shiro?" Lance asked nervously. His stomach started to twist into an uncomfortable knot.

Shiro didn't respond to him. Lance wasn’t the only one to notice his weird behavior. 

Keith glanced up from his food and looked at Shiro with worry. "Shiro?" Keith asked. 

Shiro paused for another moment before snapping out of his stupor. He looked away and sat down in the seat nearest Allura. "Yeah," Shiro cleared his throat. "Sorry. Glad to hear it, Lance."

Lance's stomach tightened violently. He swallowed as best he could with his dry mouth. Shiro was definitely mad. Lance wanted to sink down in his chair and never come up. He regretted everything now. Shiro thought he was an idiot. He must have been avoiding him all day; Lance wouldn't want to see Lance either if he was Shiro.

"…Lance," Keith's voice caught Lance's attention. Keith gave him a cocky smirk. "Allura tell you that I made it to level six the other day?"

_Level six?...Oh, he must be talking about the drones in the training bay._

"…Wait, level six?!" Lance suddenly exclaimed, his mind instantly switching focus. Keith's smirk grew wider. "I thought we were all suppose to stay on level four!"

Keith shrugged. "Don't know, level four seemed too easy so we decided to go up."

"Princess!" Lance raised his voice and shot a look towards Allura. She jumped at the exclamation and fumbled with her fork.

"What?! He was doing well so I just…moved him up a little." She replied meekly.

It was Coran's turn to frown. "Princess, you really shouldn't move any of the paladins up any levels until you discuss it with me. Humans aren't Alteans. They're squishy and bruise easily, just look at Lance!"

Lance stuck his tongue out at Coran.

His gut settled a bit as dinner continued. Keith seemed to really want to get under Lance's skin tonight as he bragged about the new training level and how he was close to unlocking a new form on his bayard. Pidge and Hunk were off in their own world as they discussed tech and ignored their food. Allura and Coran were wrapped up in their own conversation, and Shiro kept silent and focused on his plate. Lance couldn't help but keep giving him worried glances.

_Is he that mad…?_

Lance had ignored his hunger for long enough, and he continued to eat as best he could on his own. Keith decided to lay off of him for a moment, and tried to involve himself into Coran and Allura's conversation. For once in Lance's life, he was perfectly content with only listening to his friends talking around him. His joints and ribs started to ache dully. The pain wasn't bad, but it was exhausting to deal with all the time. Lance could feel his eyelids grow heavy. He was more than ready for bed; he wanted to forget that disappointed look Shiro gave him. He leaned forward lazily, mashing spoonful of goo into his open mouth. He just wanted to be fat, happy, and asleep.

A warmth spread through Lance at the thought of sleep. He bounced his leg slowly as he ate another spoonful of goo. A tingling sensation ran through his body, and only seemed to become more intense as he continued to consume his food. Lance frowned as it started to make him feel uncomfortable. His legs felt numb. He shifted his hips to relieve the discomfort, but the feeling just got worse. His lower stomach tightened, and then suddenly it was gone. The tension in the pit of his stomach released, and Lance felt a small spot of warmth form in his lap. Furrowing his brow in confusion, Lance looked down at his legs. His eyes widened in horror. He saw a wet patch slowly expanding at the base of his crotch, making a noticeable dark mark on his light jeans. A choked noise croaked out of Lance's mouth and his heart sank deeply. He was peeing himself right at the table.

_In front of everyone._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took so long! I had some trouble writing this chapter but I hope it was worth the wait.

Lance didn't even feel like he had to go. He hadn't drank any water in the last few hours, yet he couldn't stop. An eerie sense of relief fanned through the lower half of his body as the wet stain crept down his inner left thigh. His heart sank and face heated up to an almost painful level. It was almost as warm as his lap. Realizing that the leak would start to drip off the chair soon, Lance snapped out of his stupor. He shot his good arm in-between his legs and contracted his abdomen muscles in hopes of stopping the flow. His bladder harshly tightened. An intense pressure pulsated within him. He winced harshly at the sharp pain, and his legs began to tremble. 

_I-I still have to go..._

He managed to stop the stream, but his body warned him that it was only temporary. Every muscle in his body felt like it was coiled to its tightest possible state, but he couldn't keep from twitching. His eyes were fixated on the large puddle in his lap. There was no hiding it; anyone who looked at him would know exactly what he did. A wave of nausea hit him at the thought of looking up. He couldn't tell if the room was quiet or not; his hearing felt muffled. All of his strength and focus was directed at keeping himself from leaking again. He swallowed dryly. Lance needed to know if he was going to be an even bigger laughing stock to his teammates. His head twitched out of its fixed position as he slowly glanced up.

_Nothing._

Everyone was still talking normally to each other. Hunk and Pidge's plates were untouched as they babbled on about tech. Keith gave up trying to make a point to Coran and returned to his dinner. Allura was asking a series of questions that Shiro gave half-hearted answers to. Lance's chest unraveled slightly in relief. No one had noticed his sudden fit. At the same time, he had felt a spark of annoyance. No one was noticing the emergency he was experiencing.

_What if I was having a heart attack?! I could be dyi-_

Lance's thoughts were cut off by another sudden wave of desperation. His bladder shuddered violently and threatened to leak again. His grip tightened on his already damp crotch as he suppressed a whimper building in his throat; it wasn’t the time to be petty. Knowing that he only had a few more moments before his body betrayed him again, an idea struck. It was a dumb excuse, but it was the best he could do right now.

"O-Oh, quiznak!!!" Lance jumped at the volume of his own shaking voice. He saw some movement in the corner of his eye. His teammates glanced over. Lance's throat almost closed in fear, but he managed to choke out the rest of his statement. "I left my hair dryer on!!!"

As soon as the last word left his mouth, Lance wasted no time. He shot up out of his seat and bolted out of the room as quickly as his long legs would allow. Lance didn't know if there was a stain on the back of his pants, didn't know if he left a puddle on his chair, and didn’t know if anyone bought that lame excuse. All he knew is that he had to get as far from his team as he could. His feet slapped heavily on the ground as he turned a corner in the castle. He must have ran through eight halls in the span of five minutes. With a particularly harsh step, Lance's bladder constricted painfully and forced him to stop. He had never let go of his crotch. He could feel small beads of liquid leaking through his fingers. His hips ached and his legs began to shake again from strain. He could feel his abdomen pulsate from pressure as he gripped himself tighter. His knees pushed together and his mind raced. There was no way he could find a bathroom in time, especially when he had no idea of where he was in the castle.

He let out a series of shuddered breaths as he tried to think of a way out of this. Another quick spurt leaked into his boxers, and he bent over quickly. Leaning down sent a shock of pain through his tender body. It turned off any control he had. A strong stream seeped into his pants and re-warmed the chilled dampness. A heat washed over his cheeks. His eyes started to blink away small tears. 

_This…This can't be happening…_

The wetness traveled down past his knees and leaked into his shoes. Smaller streams ran off his thighs and dripped onto the floor. The sound pounded inside of Lance's ears like a drum. A bittersweet relief swirled in his stomach and he simply gave up. The flow grew stronger and splattered violently below, forming a slow growing puddle under his feet. Small tears dripped down his cheeks.

It felt like hours before it began to taper off. The splashing became a quiet dripping, and soon all that could be heard was Lance's labored breathing. He was left shaking like a leaf from both relief and the strain. His shoulder throbbed painfully alongside an ache left in his overstretched bladder. Lance cracked his eyes open to stare down at himself. The entire front side of his jeans were soaked. The puddle under him stood out vibrantly against the crisp white tiles. He felt a whole new flush cross his cheeks. Lance was frozen in place. His mind was blank. His body continued to tremble as small tears spilled out his eyes.

"Wha…what…" Lance babbled incoherently. The warmth from the urine was quickly losing its heat and grew cold and clammy. The growing chill in his crotch and the smell of ammonia snapped Lance back into his right mind. He swallowed as he threw his head back. He didn't know where he was. His pants were beyond soaked and there was a puddle on the ground that he had no way of cleaning up right now. His injuries throbbed and he couldn't stop his eyes from leaking. The worst part of it was that Lance wasn’t sure if anyone would find him right now.

He needed to move, but his legs were heavy. Another breeze hit them and sent a harsh shiver up his spine. The growing coldness in his lower half seemed to remind them how to move. Lance carefully stepped out of the puddle and slowly made his way down the hall, trying to keep his footsteps light. He didn't know how to handle the mess he left behind. His body was more focused on getting him far away. He had to figure out the clean-up later.

Peeking around the corner, Lance stumbled his way through the halls. His damp pants itched his inner thighs, but he kept walking at a brisk pace. Any noise put him on an even higher alert. Every creak in the floors sounded like someone turning a corner. Fortunately, he found the way to his bedroom. Lance sprinted towards his door and flung it open. Locking it forcefully, he fell back into his door in a slump. He slid down to a sitting position. Finally, he was able to breath. 

Everything hurt: his shoulder ached inside its brace, his legs shook, his stomach pulsated from the exhaustion of holding it, but what was most hurt was his pride.

He knew that this wasn't normal. He had never had accidents back when he still lived in Cuba. Bed-wetting was never an issue. He never had any problem with his bladder, yet he just peed himself like a two-year-old. There had to be something wrong with his body, but he couldn't help but blame himself. Lance was suppose to be legendary blue paladin, but he was sitting in his room injured, in a soaked pair of pants, and had no idea what to do next. He blinked away the wetness in his eyes, then squeezed them shut.

“I don't even think I own a hairdryer." He mumbled.

***

Showering was a nightmare. Lance’s body still refused to bend over properly so he could clean his legs. He just wanted to fall over. He couldn't remember the last time he was this mad at himself. There was a puddle somewhere in the castle he still had to clean, and there was more laundry to do. As the hot water pelted his skin, Lance stared at his feet. His stomach had stopped hurting, but there was still a leftover ache in his bladder.

"What am I gonna do…?" He could barely hear his own voice over the running water. He shifted. His skin heated up to an uncomfortable temperature. He could pray that all of this was just a one-time thing, but he doubted it. Worry filled his chest, but Lance quickly pushed away the thoughts. He didn't want to think about it. He just wanted to sleep.

By the end of his shower, he didn't feel fully clean, but Lance couldn't stand any longer. Dragging himself out, he put on his pajamas and plopped down on his bed. He didn't redress his wounds and ignored the brace. His sheets and blankets had already been through the wash, but Lance couldn't find the energy to put them back on. A pillow would have to do for tonight. His eyes felt heavy. Lance was ready to forget about this day for a few hours.

Lance didn't remember closing his eyes. He was suddenly shocked out of his slumber by a loud knocking. Inhaling sharply, Lance looked around with confusion, but was only met with the darkness of his room. Figuring it must have been an hour or two since he lied down, Lance tensed up and quickly felt the bed. It was dry. An odd sense of pride welled up in his chest.

"…I'm proud of keeping my bed dry?" Lance groaned quietly. "What the hell has my life come to?"

The pounding on the door continued until Lance got up. He cracked it open slightly. Hunk blinked at him, then gave a small wave. Lance couldn't help but smile back and open the door fully.

"Hey, big guy." Lance said tiredly.

Hunk frowned. "You ok, bro? You look terrible."

_Ya know, my shoulder is fractured and I've peed myself twice in the last day. Everything is super._

Lance laughed nervously. "You know how ugly I get without my face mask on."

Hunk's eyes searched him for a moment, making Lance begin to panic.

_Does he know I’m lying? Did I leave a stain on the dining room chair? Did Hunk find the puddle in the hallway?!_ Lance's heart beat faster with every question that popped in his head.

Finally, Hunk shrugged. "I was just wondering if you got that hairdryer situation figured out."

"…Oh. Oh! Oh, yeah!" Lance laughed. He had almost forgot his excuse. "Yeah, that's all taken care of."

Hunk and Lance chuckled together, but Lance couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Lying was not something that happened between them. Lance knew that there had to be something wrong with him, but how would Hunk react? Lance teased him for his gag reflex, but it was never malicious. Having no bladder control felt like an entirely new level of embarrassing compared to that. Lance knew that Hunk would never ridicule him, but there was a big chance he would tell the others out of concern. Lance bit his lip nervously. He was already in the spotlight for his crash. Everyone was already annoyed with him.

"...Lance?" Hunk interrupted his thoughts. "You hear me?"

"Huh? Sorry. One more time?"

"Shiro wanted me to tell you that we're training early tomorrow."

"…How is that suppose to work?" Lance asked as he glanced at his bruises. Hunk gave him a sympathetic look. 

"I know, but he wanted to make sure everyone was there." Hunk said. 

"Did he ask for me specifically?"

“He just said you still need to be there. Something about injured arms aren't an excuse?"

_What? Does Shiro think I'm gonna slack-off?_

"…So, he's still mad at me?"

Hunk blinked and Lance saw concern cross his face. "Wait, you think he's mad at you?" He asked.

Lance stiffened, instantly regretting thinking that aloud. He laughed nervously and waved his hand. "J-Just ignore me! I'm tired."

"What are you tired from? We didn't do anything all day."

"Hey, being handsome is hard."

Hunk rolled his eyes but seemed to accept that answer. "Whatever, bro. I'm heading to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."

Lance watched him turn and walk away, but Hunk stopped. He looked back at Lance. "It was just an accident, ya know?" Hunk said.

_Oh, shit. He knows. I have to eject myself into space._ Lance felt himself go pale. A nervous chuckle sloppily left his lips and he felt himself shake slightly. He needed to play dumb.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Lance couldn't stop himself from smiling. It was guilty tick that he never could seem to grow out of.

"Your crash." Hunk stated plainly. "It was an accident. No one blames you for that."

_…Oh. That._ Lance's face dropped in surprise. He felt a genuine smile tug on the corners of his mouth. That honestly made him feel better.

“Thanks, buddy." Lance said warmly. Hunk nodded and walked away. Watching him disappear, Lance retreated to his room. He leaned against the door and gently closed his eyes. 

Lance wasn't going to tell anyone, not yet. Hunk's words did reassure him, but Shiro's statement still nagged at him. He couldn't give his team any more reason to doubt him when he was already skating on such thin ice. He needed to at least appear competent. He couldn't give them any more reasons to laugh.

Dragging his feet over to his bed, Lance was about to throw himself on it, but stopped. He picked a towel up off the ground and spread it carefully over his bed.

_Man, this is pathetic._

Lance gingerly laid himself down and closed his eyes. The towel felt thick under him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I am so so so sorry! This was suppose to be updated much sooner but life got in the way. As an apology, I promise the next chapter will be out before the next of next week. I swear it'll be a good one!
> 
> Second of all, I am thinking about starting a tumblr to post updates on the fic and post some related art. Let me know if you guys are interested! 
> 
> Third of all, thank you so much for all the lovely comments and kudos, you don't know how much it means to me. It's my first time writing a story like this and I'm very grateful for the feedback. I have many more plans for this story and new stories like this for different fandoms. So thank you again and keep letting me know what you think! Enjoy!

Keith stumbled backwards, dropping his bayard to the floor with a heavy metal klang. After one solid shove, he fell to the ground as well. Shiro stepped forward with a satisfied smirk. Keith grimaced.

"Almost had me there," Shiro stated proudly before extending his hand out. Keith narrowed his eyes at him, but took a hold of his hand. He was quickly pulled back onto his feet, then he felt a strong pat on his back.

"Alright, Hunk." Shiro spoke loudly. "You're next. Step up."

Keith traded spots with Hunk, who looked less than eager to spar with Shiro. Keith took a moment to breathe, wiping the sweat off his brow with his arm. They had been training for almost three hours, and he was starting to feel it. Between the battle drones and the one-on-one spar matches, Shiro was keeping them active. Keith's frown deepened. He knew Shiro well and there was something about his busy attitude that bothered him. Shiro was normally a more relaxed person, but he switched between fighting the paladins without taking a moment to breathe.

Shrugging it off, Keith walked to the back of the room.

Pidge leaned against the wall and wiped away the sweat from her forehead. Keith gave her a pat and leaned back himself.

"How is Shiro not tired…?" Pidge mumbled, fanning herself. 

"His stamina is crazy," Keith said, "He can go like this for days."

"But he has nothing on my boy! C'mon, Hunk!!!"

Keith's head snapped to the paladin sitting on the ground. Lance grinned wildly and threw his fist into the air.

"Kick his ass!!!" Lance shouted.

Keith rolled his eyes at him, but a small smile creeped onto his lips. Even covered in bandages, Lance still had a smirk on his face. He sat against the wall cross-legged and his back surprisingly straight. Keith didn’t understand why Shiro was so adamant on Lance coming to training with them at first, especially with the condition Lance was in, but it turned out that he just wanted the team together. He allowed Lance to sit on the side and watch. Keith noticed Lance’s disappointment before he quickly changed his attitude. Throughout the session, he seemed content on being the cheerleader, and shouted encouragement from the sidelines (with only a few snide remarks at Keith). He seemed fine, but his constant shifting and squirming made Keith glance back at him every so often. 

_Probably restless from sitting there..._

Keith turned his attention back to the sparring match. Shiro had easily pinned Hunk down to the ground. Finally starting to pant, Shiro got off of him. Hunk groaned loudly and rolled onto his back.

A sudden loud drumming made Keith jump. Lance was banging his hand against the ground. "You'll get him next time, buddy!" Lance called out.

Pidge rolled her eyes and covered her ears. "You're so loud…" She mumbled.

Keith felt a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth again. His smile dropped, however, when he looked back at Shiro.

Shiro’s brow was furrowed tightly with concern as he searched Lance. He looked lost and upset. Keith felt a small bit of worry bubble in his chest. Noticing Keith staring, Shiro gave him a small, forced smile. Keith frowned and crossed his arms. Shiro was hiding something.

"Alright, paladins!" Coran announced, walking into the training bay with a tray of water pouches, "Break time!"

"Oh, thank goodness…" Hunk smiled tiredly and hurried over to him with Pidge trailing behind. Keith began to follow them, but saw Lance was still on the ground. He offered a hand to help him up, but Lance pouted and shook his head.

"I can stand on my own, Mullet." Lance stated proudly. Shifting in place, Lance started to push himself up. He winced, groaned, and set himself down again. Pausing for a moment, Lance sighed. "…Ok, I might need help."

_He's tired just from that?_

Keith gingerly helped him up.. It was difficult and Lance let out another groan, but he stretched once he was up. 

Shiro spoke up, "Did you take another look at the pods, Coran?" 

Coran nodded. "Been working on them all morning."

"Any progress…?" Pidge asked.

"I'm doing the best I can, but it’s not much without those metals…"

Shiro sighed heavily and rubbed his face. Keith noticed Lance look away. There was a silence in the room.

"…Hey, let me come help ya." Lance said to Coran. Everyone looked at him and Lance shrugged as best he could. "I'm not doing anything useful here."

Coran's head perked up at the idea. "That would be great! I could use an assistant!"

Lance grinned back at and waved to the others. "I'll be back later. Don't do anything amazing without me."

Watching Coran give the tray to Pidge and walk away with Lance, Keith squinted his eyes at Lance's legs. He tilted his head for a better look at them. Lance was moving differently than normal: it seemed more like a waddle than a walk, as if it was painful to put too much weight on either foot. Confusion clouded his mind.

_Lance didn't hurt his legs too, did he?_

"Alright, team." Shiro's voice boomed, making Hunk jump. "That's our cue to take a break."

"If that's the case," Pidge stretched her arms as she spoke, "I'm gonna re-check the coordinates for those metals we need for the pod."

"And I want a sandwich." Hunk piped up, raising his arm. Shiro sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Ok, but don't be too long." He grumbled.

Pidge and Hunk hesitated for a moment, seeing the annoyance in Shiro's expression. They looked at each other, then slowly walked out. Shiro sighed again as Keith crossed his arms.

"…what was that look for?" Keith asked bluntly.

"Hm?" Shiro's head perked up as he spoke, "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." Keith stated and crossed his arms tighter. It was hard to look intimidating when he was so much shorter than Shiro, but he tried his best. "You've been strange all day. You've been rushing through training and giving everyone weird looks."

There was a silence in the room before Shiro looked away with a blank expression. Keith's frown deepened.

"…especially at Lance." Keith said. Shiro tensed up at the mention of the name and Keith knew he hit the nail on the head.

"So this is about Lance." Keith uncrossed his arms and walked over to Shiro, who seemed to want to look everywhere but at Keith, "What's the deal, Shiro?"

Shiro hesitated to answer until he finally sighed in defeat. "Can't hide much from you, huh?"

"Nope." Keith stated bluntly.

Shiro let out a weak laugh, but Keith's face didn't shift. Seeing how serious Keith was made Shiro's half-hearted smile drop.

"…I should have been able to help Lance." Shiro muttered; Keith could almost see the guilt in his words, which confused him.

"What?" Keith asked quickly. "Shiro, it was a freak accident."

"I saw that ship before it got him." Shiro shifted from foot-to-foot as he spoke. "I had the chance to shoot it before Lance got hurt."

"…that's really what's this is all about?" Keith almost rolled his eyes. "We get hurt all the time. What makes this so different?"

"We were always able to fix it right away." The amount of worry in Shiro's voice made Keith shut his mouth. He continued to talk, but still avoided Keith's eyes. “I'm the leader. I'm suppose to stop these things from happening."

"…oh." Keith was at a slight loss for words. In all the years that he had known Shiro, he could only recall Shiro looking this vulnerable a handful of times. He always had a calm demeanor, but it was only then that Keith saw the bags under his eyes. Apparently seeing Lance hurt had a bigger effect on Shiro then Keith previously thought.

"I know it's not a big deal and I know he's fine," Shiro said, "But…I don't know. I don't like seeing you guys hurt. If Lance's injuries were any worse…"

"Shiro…" Keith spoke softly while running his fingers through his own hair.

Sighing heavily, Shiro shook his head and placed a hand on Keith's shoulder. He gave him a reassuring squeeze.

"I didn't mean to worry you, buddy." Shiro said, then took his hand off. Any trace of stress left his face and was instantly replaced by a strong, confident smile. It didn’t ease any worry in Keith’s chest however. 

“Everything will be fine once the pods are fixed.” Keith tried to remind him, but Shiro nodded before he was even done speaking. 

“I know. If Lance isn’t letting his injuries get him down, I shouldn’t either.” Shiro smiled again and walked past Keith. “I’m going to go get some extra training equipment for the afternoon.”

Shiro seemed to be in a rush to leave, but Keith quickly called out to grab his attention again. Stopping slowly, Shiro glanced back to see Keith crossing his arms.

“...just be careful with how you’re talking to the others.” Keith mumbled.

“That almost sounds like a threat.” Shiro laughed weakly.

Keith shook his head. “It’s not, but you’re not as sneaky as you think you are.”

The smile dropped from Shiro’s face and he paused for a moment before he spoke. “I’m not trying to hide anything.”

Without another word, Shiro turned and left. Keith sighed, and thought he should have realized sooner that Shiro felt bad about what had happened. Lance was ok, but Shiro had a point. If it were any worse and they still didn’t have the pods, Lance might have been a goner. There was a lot on Shiro’s shoulders as the leader, and as much as much as Keith hated taking charge, he needed to help Shiro as much as he could. 

_Starting with the pods._

Keith left and made his way toward the medical bay. Having no previous history in working with any sort of technology, Keith had little hope that he would be helpful to Coran. Anything he could do right now that would ease Shiro’s worries would be worth it though. Keith smirked to himself and thought maybe he could at least babysit Lance.

As the med bay door came in sight, a sudden and loud yelp rang through the halls. It made Keith jump. A crash and some brisk footsteps followed.

“What the heck…?” Keith sped up his steps and pushed open the doors. Coran was kneeling down next to Lance, who was crouching down with his his head in between his knees. Keith wasted no time hurrying over next to him. Lance jumped at the sudden presence and he trembled violently.

“What happened?!” Keith almost yelled at Coran. Coran shook his head and rubbed Lance’s back, but Lance jerked away from his touch.

“I-I don’t know,” Coran replied, “we were working and I think he might have fell…”

“Lance, did you hurt yourself? You need to straighten your back.” Keith reached out to him as he spoke, but Lance twitched under his touch. It was then that Keith noticed Lance’s face was glowing a deep red. 

“Please, don’t touch me…” Lance choked out weakly, ducking his head down deeper. Keith could hear his voice waiver. Coran and Keith looked at each other with worry. Keith reached forward and took Lance by his arm.

“Come on, man, you need to get up.” Keith said as he tried to tug Lance up, who pulled back from him. Keith grimaced. “Go get an examination table ready, Coran.”

“NO!” Lance suddenly yelled out, pushing both of them away. 

Coran and Keith watched Lance as he very shakily pushed himself off the floor. Once up, Lance attempted to stand straight, but ended up resembling a newborn deer with his legs wobbling and knees pushed together tightly. Coran reached forward to help steady him but Lance held out an arm to stop him.

“I-I’m fine...just need to lie down…” Lance croaked, not picking his head up. Keith opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he noticed something odd on Lance.

There were a several wet spots on his upper thigh, staining his jeans. Keith could have sworn they weren’t there before. Another one slowly appeared as Lance tried to regain his balance. Keith furrowed his brow in confusion, but Lance quickly turned away from him before Keith could see anything else.

“Lance, wait..!” Coran called out, but Lance took off. In any other situation, Keith would have laughed at him. If he wasn’t so concerned, Lance would look ridiculous as he stumbled out of the room. For some reason, he attempted to run with his legs together. Coran and Keith were left bewildered.

“...what the quiznak has gotten into him?” Coran asked as he scratched his head. Keith pressed his lips together tightly.

_Maybe Shiro does have a reason to worry…_

***

Lance’s heart was about to burst out of his chest and every breath felt like spikes in his throat. He had barely managed to get inside his bedroom before he felt a familiar warmth slowly flood into his pants. The small hand towel stuffed into his underwear couldn’t prevent small amounts of urine from leaking down his legs. Small tears gathered in the corners of his eyes and he hit his head back violently on the door, immediately making an ache bubble up in the back of his skull.

_Stupid...I’m so...stupid…_

Despite everything that happened, Lance had still believed that this bladder problem would pass on its own. However, his fear of having another accident gave Lance the idea of putting a small towel in his boxers to catch anything in case his body betrayed him again. It was suppose to work as some sort of pad.

_Or a diap-_

Lance quickly tried to shake that word out of his head before it made him anymore upset, but it was too late. He felt like a complete loser already and it was just getting worse. The feeling of emptying his bladder only made the relief mix with the pain, which made him nauseous. Small tears dripped down his cheeks. He squeezed his eyes shut as he gradually sunk down into a sitting position. The overfilled towel under him squished and leaked even more liquid into his pants. He couldn’t even tell if he was peeing right now, everything on his lower half was just wet. Lance couldn’t take the feeling anymore as he let out a small sob. 

He felt gross. Every part of his body pulsated with pain. He couldn’t properly clean himself, he hadn’t drank anything all day to lessen the chance of an accident, and worst of all he pissed himself in front of his teammates for the second time in two days. He didn’t know if Coran or Keith had noticed.

There was no way he could hide this from the others anymore. He knew they were going to laugh. Hunk and Pidge were going to think he’s stupider than ever, Coran and Allura would be disgusted, Shiro would be more disappointed, and Keith would never see him as a worthy rival. He wouldn’t even blame Blue if she turned him away.

Lance sniffled loudly and hit his head back again. His throat felt like sandpaper and he was light-headed. He had to fix this somehow. He already felt so shitty about himself, if anyone joined in on that, he would break.

Taking a ragged, sloppy breath, Lance opened his eyes and stared at the room in front of him. 

_I have to hide._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow...so, this chapter is a lot longer than the rest. I had a lot of things that needed to happen so I decided to get include it all in so that you guys wouldn't have to keep waiting for the plot. 
> 
> Again, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all the wonderful comments. It's because of those that I'm able to stay motivated to keep writing so thank you again. :)
> 
> School is starting soon but I will do my best to keep updating somewhat regularly. Anyway, enjoy!

“Hey, has anyone seen Lance?” 

Hunk picked his head up at Pidge’s question. Everyone followed suit and glanced at Lance’s empty seat.

Allura sighed heavily. “Dinner is suppose to be bonding time,” She said, annoyed, “Can someone go fetch him?”

Hunk blinked at her question. The team looked at each other in confusion.

Coran cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “I spoke with him earlier,” Coran said. “I went to his room to go check on him, but he said he was under the weather…”

“He’s sick?” Shiro asked worriedly, placing his fork down. “What was wrong with him?”

Hunk looked back at Coran, who seemed uneasy. “I’m not sure. He wouldn’t open his door.”

“He’s probably all snotty and sweaty and didn’t want anyone to see that.” Pidge said.

Chatter arose in the room. It was true, Hunk knew Lance took great value in his looks, but he also knew what a drama queen he was when sick. Back when they were roommates in the Garrison, whenever Lance developed so much as a cold, he would act like it was the plague. There was moaning, whining, sniffling, and Lance even wrote out a will during a particularly high fever. Hunk also knew that Lance used illnesses as an excuse to fulfill his need for attention, particularly for physical contact. Any night Lance had so much as a sniffle, they would cuddle up on Hunk’s twin bed. Lance would be engulfed in the biggest blanket they could find. Hunk frowned as he recalled those times. If Lance really was sick, he would be sprawled out on the dinner table in front of them, have his leg in the air, and would be begging them for soup. 

_Come to think of it, Lance has been acting out-of-character lately…_

Ever since the accident, Lance seemed a lot more sensitive and jumpy. It could have been because of his injuries, but Hunk doubted it. He could tell that Lance was being more critical of himself since he got hurt. He noticed that subtle change in expression when Shiro gave him those standoffish looks or when Pidge would talk about the crash. Hunk tried his best to ease his friend’s worries when he ran out on dinner the other night. There wasn’t much of a result, but Hunk hoped he knew he was there for his friend.

This wasn’t the case though, because Lance had to be hiding something. There’s no other reason he would pull that sick excuse. Hunk knew that for a fact.

Shiro’s voice rose above the others. “When was the last time anyone saw Lance?” He asked with his brow furrowed.

Hunk could hear the worry in his voice. There was something off with Shiro too, but that wasn’t his first priority. 

“...oh, wow. Did I even see him yesterday?” Pidge asked aloud, “I was helping Coran with the pods all day…”

“I was with Pidge who was with me.” Coran chirped.

Allura’s expression shifted to concern as she turned her head to Shiro. “I suppose we were busy yesterday too.” Shiro nodded in response.

Hunk’s frown deepened as he tried to think back. The last time must have been on the training deck.

His eyebrow rose at the person opposite him at the table. Keith was across from him, sunk deep in his chair with his dinner untouched. His eyes were tightly narrowed in thought as he chewed on his lip. Hunk tilted his head at him.

“Something on your mind, Keith?” Hunk asked loudly, making everyone’s head pop up in surprise, including Keith. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

“I think the last time I saw him was after training the other day,” He started slowly, not looking anyone in the eye. “I went to go help him and Coran with the pods, but...I don’t know. Lance was acting weird.”

Hunk didn’t take his eyes off him. There was more to the story then Keith was letting on.

“Oh, yeah!” Coran exclaimed. “Yes, that was odd.”

“What happened?” Allura asked.

“When I came in…” Keith started, “I guess he fell? He was hunched on the ground and was shaking like crazy. We tried to help him up, but he got mad and ran out.” 

“He ran out during dinner the other night too.” Pidge remembered, looking at Shiro, who grimaced in response.

“Ok, something’s wrong.” Shiro pushed away his plate and crossed his arms. “...beside the obvious.”

“He’s hiding something.” Hunk spoke up. All eyes went on him, but Hunk nodded with confidence.

“What would he be hiding?” Allura asked. “Lance is an open book, and we’ve already seen the extent of his injuries.”

“Then it’s gotta be something else.” Hunk stated simply.

Shiro nodded firmly and stood up. “I”m gonna go check on him then.” He turned to leave, but Hunk picked himself up off his chair and jogged up next to him.

“I’ll come too.” Hunk flashed a cheesy grin, and gave him a thumbs up. “Lance wouldn’t lie to me.”

Shiro’s tired expression broke. He softly chuckled at Hunk’s statement and nodded. “Sure thing.” 

Hunk smiled too. He took one last glance back at Keith. His eyes were firmly locked onto the floor. Hunk’s smile dropped as he tilted his head in thought.

_What’s wrong with him…?_

It didn’t take long for Hunk and Shiro to reach Lance’s bedroom, but Hunk almost had to jog with how quickly Shiro was walking. Once at their destination, Shiro held his fist up to knock. He hesitated and kept his knuckles in front of the door. It was still until Hunk rolled his eyes and knocked himself.

“Sorry…” Shiro mumbled and took his hand away. Both of them went stiff as they waited for a response.

After 30 seconds, Hunk leaned forward and knocked much more forcefully, making the door vibrate. “Lance, hey!” Hunk called out loudly with one more hit. “You in there? It’s me, Hunk!”

There was another short silence before they started to hear some shuffling behind the door. Lance grunted as, Hunk assumed, he pushed himself off his bed. 

He spoke through the door. “What’s up, Hunk…?” Lance croaked in a tired voice. Hunk started to doubt his claim; Lance really did sound sick. Hunk looked to Shiro and signalled to him by pressing a finger against his own lips. Shiro nodded.

“You weren’t at dinner.” Hunk spoke loudly. 

“Not hungry.” Lance stated bluntly. He seemed to quickly regret his tone and replied in a weaker voice. “Sorry...kinda sick.”

“If you’re sick then maybe we should get you over to the med-bay.” Hunk said. “Coran might have something to help!”

“No, thanks,” Lance replied, “It’s just a cold. I need to sleep it off…”

“You really should eat something. I can make some soup.” Hunk said, and Lance promptly answered.

“No, no! I just need to sleep!” Lance laughed nervously, but Hunk could see Shiro grimace in the corner of his eye. Shiro then leaned forward and gave the door a firm knock.

“Lance, it’s Shiro. Please open up.”

Biting his lip tightly, Hunk looked at Lance’s door as heavy silence fell. After their conversation the other day, Hunk knew there was some kind of tension between the two, especially on Lance’s end. Shiro didn’t seem to be aware of it, and kept his stern expression. It was silence for another moment, then to Hunk’s surprise, he heard Lance press the control panel on the other side of the door to unlock it. After a few clicks, the door slid half-open with Lance hiding slightly behind it.

Before Hunk could make out Lance, a sharp and painful scent assaulted Hunk’s face. It smelled of concentrated cleaning supplies mixed with an intense mustiness. Hunk tried to suppress it, but a harsh gag heaved through his chest and he quickly covered his nose. Lance stiffened at Hunk’s obvious disgust and looked away with his cheeks a bright red. Hunk’s heart ached at the look of pure shame painted across Lance’s face. Lance moved to slide the door shut, but Shiro moved swiftly and held it in place.

Lance winced again, but a nervous smile crept onto his lips. “Heh heh…” The corners of Lance’s mouth twitched slightly as he spoke. “Totally sorry, been awhile since I cleaned my room.”

“Are you ok?” Shiro asked firmly, making Lance shut up. 

Hunk finally got a better look at Lance. It seemed like he had just awoken from a two day sleep, but looked like he needed three more days unconcious. His hair was disheveled and his lips were chapped. The sloppily-made sling was half-hanging off his shoulder, and he clearly stopped bothering to dress the rest of his wounds. His half-healed bruises were exposed, showing different hues of yellow and purple. Worst of it all, Lance looked guilty. He still hid half-way behind the door with his eyes averted from them. Hunk was reminded of an injured puppy backed into a corner by predators. Hunk swallowed the lump in his throat.

He really hope Lance didn’t see them like that.

“...yeah. Like I said, I just feel under the weather.” Lance finally muttered. 

“Then you should be at the med-bay.” Shiro replied, this time making his tone more soothing. That didn’t stop Lance from wincing at his words and shaking his head at both of them.

“It’s nothing serious.” Lance mumbled. He tried to push his door closed again, but Shiro kept his grip strong on it.

Hunk’s brow furrowed. “Just worried about you, Lance…” Hunk tried to keep his voice as normal as possible while his nose was plugged. The strange smell still bothered him. “It’s not like you to lock yourself in your room.”

“I-I’m not!” Lance argued. “Listen, I appreciate you guys coming over here, but-”

Lance was cut off by Shiro reaching forward and gently squeezing his shoulder. It made him stopping talking. Shiro’s frown deepened as Lance seemed to shrink from his stare.

“Lance, if there’s anything bothering you…” Shiro started.

Hunk couldn’t help but pipe up. “We want to help!” He proclaimed.

Lance stared at both of them dumbly, his mouth slightly agape. He averted his gaze from them as he shifted from foot-to-foot. Hunk tilted his head concernedly. This was definitely not like his Lance. Hunk has never before described him as shy or withdrawn, but that’s all he could see right now.

“...sorry, guys,” Lance almost whispered, “But there’s nothing to report.”

Before either of them could reply, Lance took Shiro’s hand off his shoulder and nudged it away. Shiro took it back and opened his mouth to say something, but Lance moved toward the control panel. He pressed it, making the door slide closed with a loud snap. Hunk and Shiro stood there on the other side, bewildered with Lance’s answer. Raising his fist to knock again, Hunk was stopped by Shiro.

“Don’t,” Shiro commanded in a low voice, taking his hand away, “If he doesn’t want to talk, he doesn’t want to talk. Forcing him is only going to upset him more.”

“But…” Hunk started, but Shiro shook his head.

“I know,” Shiro answered, “But let’s give him some space.”

_But Lance hates being alone…_

Shiro’s words did nothing to help ease Hunk’s worries. He had never seen Lance like this, and it was making him imagine the worst.

Was Lance actually more hurt than they previously thought? Was he this mad at himself for the crash? 

Hunk knew that he struggled with some self-confidence issues, but he never avoided people because of it. 

_Was Lance mad enough to hurt himself?_

_What if-_

A gentle shoulder squeeze interrupted Hunk’s thoughts, and he looked back at Shiro, who offered him a weak but supportive smile.

“I know you’re worried, but he’s Lance” Shiro reminded him. “He’ll come to us when he’s ready.”

Hunk gave him back a similar smile, but it didn’t make him any more hopeful about it.

***

The two met with the rest of the team later and explained what they saw. Shiro restated his plan of simply leaving Lance alone. Hunk could tell that not everyone was pleased with this idea, Keith in particular spoke up against Shiro. Shiro shut him down very curtly and repeated that forcing Lance would just push him away more. Keith seems disgruntled, but he quieted down. Hunk could see his concern behind his grimace. Everyone eventually agreed and separated for the night. The next morning, there was no sign of Lance at breakfast or in the early afternoon. The day could only be described as “still” as it dragged on. 

This made the deafening siren that shrieked throughout the castle louder than it had ever seemed.

“Paladins, HURRY!” Allura announced over the castle’s loudspeakers, making Hunk and Pidge’s head shoot up from the machinery they were working on. They both stared at each other in surprise, but Allura’s voice brought them back to attention 

“There’s a Galra ship in view! They’re getting ready to fire!” Allura proclaimed. “We need you!”

Rushing to their feet, Hunk and Pidge ran out of the castle’s engineering room and toward the main hub. There was an uneasy feeling in Hunk’s stomach as the ship shook. They were almost at the main hub when the doors in front of them slid open, revealing a very stressed looking Shiro.

Pidge stopped. “We’re getting to the lions, don’t worry!” Pidge said, about to pass Shiro, but he quickly took her by the shoulder.

“I need you guys to stay here.” Shiro spoke quickly, looking behind him then back at them. “I don’t know how, but some Galra robots snuck on.”

“What?!” Hunk exclaimed. “Like into the castle?”

Shiro waved his hand, signaling Hunk to calm himself. “Yes, into the castle. Allura sensed them in the pods’ hanger. There’s not many of them right now, but there’s gonna be more if we don’t secure the breach.”

Before either of them could respond, Shiro shoved on his helmet on and walked back into the hub. Keith was heading towards Red’s hanger. Allura stood on her platform and Coran typed away at the control panel. An outside explosion shook the room and everyone in there winced as they tried to stay standing.

“C’mon, Shiro! They’re getting closer!” Keith called out.

Shiro nodded firmly. “Keith and I are gonna take care of the bigger ship, then come help you two.” Shiro snapped his helmet closed and went towards Black.

Hunk’s eyes darted around the room through the tension and chaos. His brow furrowed worriedly and reached out toward Shiro. “Wait, where’s Lance?!” Hunk asked loudly.

Shiro shook his head. “I don’t know, but there’s no time for that,” Shiro replied as Black’s hanger began to lower. He looked back at Hunk and Pidge before he disappeared. “Don’t focus on it. Go get in armour!”

Every muscle in Hunk’s body told him to go grab Lance, but the rational part of his mind told him that in no reality would Lance just ignore a call for help. It was also hard not to pay attention to the crisis on hand when the castle was in danger. 

Pidge and Hunk nodded to Allura and Coran before running out. It didn’t take long for the two to get their armor on, but by the time they reached the lower levels of the castle, it was complete mayhem.

They passed a few robots on the way down, they were easily taken care of, but the duo was unprepared for what they saw in the hanger. A small Galra ship had parked itself right in the middle with its dock door wide open. Two lines of bots shuffled out of it and flooded the room. Hunk stared in amazement at the sight, but the high-pitched buzzing of Pidge’s bayard made him stand at attention. He could see an excited smirk on her face. She charged in before Hunk could stop her. Hunk groaned loudly.

Pidge sprinted ahead and sliced through every bot in her way while Hunk shot down anything left over. They were easy enough to take down, but more just kept replacing them. Each hit put strain on the two, and Hunk could feeling himself slowing down.

“Where are Shiro and Keith?!” Hunk called out in panic as he shot another two bots with a powerful blast. Pidge grunted loudly in response as she sliced in front of her. 

“They can’t keep coming forever!” Pidge exclaimed. “Just keep going!”

_Easier said than done…_

Hunk did the best he could, but he slowly found himself backed into a corner. There was no sign of Pidge anywhere in Hunk’s sight soon enough. Firing another blast into the enemies barely seemed to deter them. Dread started to fill his chest as he shook his bayard to charge up another shot. There were so many of them, and there was no sign of stopping. As his own gun charged, Hunk saw a bot pick up its gun and aimed it straight at his head. Hunk’s eyes widened in fear.

_Shiro...Pidge...someone?!_

Biting his lip harshly, Hunk aimed his blaster at the robot and prayed that it was ready to shoot. Before he got that answer, a bright blue ray of light shot straight through the bot, instantly making the foe fall apart and collapse onto the ground. Hunk’s jaw dropped as he looked toward the source of the blast.

Lance stood in his street clothes in the distance with his rifle in his arms. Smoke leaked out of his bayard.

Hunk broke out into a smile. “Lance!!!” Hunk exclaimed loudly, but Lance didn’t respond. He simply continued to fire into the crowd.

Hunk’s face dropped. Lance gritted his teeth violently as he fired each shot. His sling was nowhere to be seen, and his shaky legs seemed to struggle to support him as he fired his gun again. Knocking down another few soldiers, Lance gasped loudly as if holding his breath. He started to pant. He seemed to notice Hunk’s face and he flashed a quick smile. Hunk took note of the extreme discomfort in his friend’s eyes.

“Can’t talk right now!” Lance called out, charging his rifle again. He tried his best to keep his grin up, but it was unsteady at best. “Let’s take care of these guys!”

Hunk could tell he was hurting just from holding the gun, but this wasn’t the time to address it. He nodded firmly at Lance, then continued to blast. Pidge finally came back into view and smiled with relief at Lance. She nodded at Hunk and charged back in with him, as she sliced and he shot. Lance backed up and shot anything that was left behind. Although he was a lot less accurate than normal, he managed to clear out a considerable amount of enemies and they could finally see the room thinning out. Where there once was a small army was now only a few soldiers still standing. 

As they took care of those that remained, Hunk saw Shiro, Keith, and Allura run through the entrance and gawk at the robot limbs all over the floor. Hunk smirked a bit, proud to know they handled it without some of their stronger members. 

Another blast from Lance blew past Hunk and took out the last one. Pidge breathed out loudly in relief next to Hunk.

“Finally...over.” She laughed, took off her helmet, and wiped the sweat off of her forehead. Hunk smiled back at her as the three jogged over to them. Allura smiled widely at them as Shiro and Keith caught up.

“Excellent!” She clapped happily. “You two did well!”

Hunk was about to correct her when a sudden metal crash caught their attention. The team looked back at the source of the sound, and Hunk saw Lance behind them. He was hunched over and desperately gripping at his shoulder, his gun laid at his feet where he had dropped it.

“Lance…?” Hunk was about to ask if he was alright, but was suddenly cut off by the sight of Lance’s legs.

A large wet spot was soaked into the crotch of Lance’s jeans. It reached down to his mid-thighs, staining the light fabric with a dark, damp color. Hunk stared in confusion, but Lance didn’t dare lift his head. He continued to tremble violently. The rest of the team seemed to catch on to what Hunk was staring at. It was obvious what had happened.

It was silent as the six of them stared; no one wanting to speak up.

“Did you pee yourself?” Keith asked bluntly, breaking the quiet of the room. Hunk could almost feel the others wince.

Lance almost seemed to gag at the question, and abruptly fell to his knees with a pained yelp.

“Lance!” Hunk yelled out as he ran to his side, with the other paladins closely following behind. 

By the time Hunk reached Lance, the other boy was kneeling down with his upper half bent over. He never let go of his shoulder and continued to grasp it like a lifeline. Lance took a deep and ragged breath. Hunk knelt down next to him and placed a worried hand on Lance’s back, now feeling his body tremors. Hunk had never seen someone shake this badly in his life.

“Lance! Are you alright? What hurts?!” Shiro spoke rapidly, trying to assess the situation. He knelt down in front of Lance, trying to take one of his shoulders, but Lance forcefully jerked back from the touch.

“Lan-” Hunk tried to sooth his friend, but was abruptly stopped by a warm wet feeling that was gathering at his knees. Puzzled, Hunk drew his hand back and looked down.

A small puddle was leaking out from under his friend, and had begun to inch towards Hunk, seeping into his pants.

“...oh, Lance.”

Lance let out a loud sob.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally updated! Sorry this was so late but school started and immediately ate up all my time. It's Thanksgiving break though and I was finally able to update! Winter break is coming too so expect more updates sooner rather than later. 
> 
> One quick note though, I update when I can so I ask you all to please be patient. I got some aggressive messages on the last chapter about updating the story so please know I do what I can. 
> 
> On a happier note, I finally created my tumblr to discuss all things omo! It's the same as my username here, witchywitchboy, so PLEASE drop by and say hi! You can even recommend ideas for Water and Bruises that I could put in. Other than that, send head canons or just say hi. I really wanna talk to you all. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Lance thrived off attention. It was so easy to fade into the background among his loud, brash family, but he always found a way to have the spotlight on him. He inserted himself into every conversation possible and had a dramatic pose ready for every occasion. Lance found ways to make sure people were always looking at him. It made his mom roll her eyes and his siblings laugh. It angered his teachers, but helped him befriend his shy roommate, Hunk.

Sometimes it worked out for him, other times not. Regardless, any type of attention was welcomed, as long as people noticed him.

It was different in space though. Even with an entire universe in front of him, Lance’s world now consisted of six people within one castle. These six people also happened to be the bravest and most talented beings that Lance had ever met. These are people that Lance could never measure up to. Every accomplishment that he achieved would quickly be outshined by Pidge’s brilliance, Hunk’s kindness, Allura’s strength, Keith’s skills, or Shiro’s leadership. Coran even shined with his positivity and fatherly attitude. Lance barely felt like a paladin compared to them. Allura once commented that the Blue Lion was the most accepting of new paladins. Lance knew that was code for _the Blue Lion would accept anyone and that he didn’t have any special qualities that made him bond with her._ There were five lions and Blue knew that she had to accept the one without any useful skills, because her fellow lions would only choose the best. Blue got the leftovers. 

Lance knew how painfully average he was, but that didn’t mean that his need for attention went away. The need grew, in fact. It was so easy to be swept into the shadows of his teammate’s glory that he felt the only way to shine was through his charisma. He cracked more jokes, yelled in more conversations, and threw himself in front of others in dramatic fashions. It felt like he couldn’t control his motor mouth most days. He had to say something so someone would look at him. However, unlike Earth, when he messed up it was harder to overcome. 

For every person he pissed off back home, there were several more people he was able to make laugh in the next room. When he angered someone in the castle, the rest of the team normally followed suit. Making Pidge groan meant making the rest of the team groan. Lance quickly learned that with every joke he made, the less serious everyone took him. Word traveled fast in the castle, and it was difficult to recover from the embarrassment. Before Lance realized, he had been cemented as the goofball in the group, the one to make jokes and screw-up. 

From there, Lance did damage control. He would stay positive, train harder, take missions more seriously, and find a purpose.

Then the crash happened and he started having accidents, the most immature and laugh-worthy issue someone could have. Lance tried to hide it by locking himself away. As hard as it was to isolate himself, he would rather suffer through this than expose his shameful secret to everyone. It only got worse as the days went on. He woke up wet every morning and was never able to properly clean himself. This resulted in irritated rashes developing on his inner thighs. He was afraid to leave and resorted to eating and doing laundry in the middle of the night. This made the days long and boring, but it kept him close to a toilet and minimized contact. This didn’t help his bladder problem, however. There seemed to be no more warning when he needed to go and his body simply let go whenever it felt like it. Every time he made it to the toilet, there was already a considerable stain on his pants. It was a weak plan, but a plan nonetheless. 

Like everything else, he messed that up too. 

Lance didn’t feel himself go during the battle. The only thing he noticed was the pop in his shoulder and the hot wash of pain through his body that accompanied it. It wasn’t until the room was silent and Lance was trembling from shock that he realized that the entire team was in front of him. They were staring straight at him with stunned expressions.

“Did you pee yourself?” Keith asked bluntly.

Keith’s voice boomed inside the quiet room and attacked Lance’s ear drums. A coldness circulated throughout his legs, finally alerting him of the wetness in his pants. His eyes shot open and he choked harshly on his breath. 

_They saw...they know. My reputation is dead. I lost all my friends. Everyone’s gonna laugh. I wanna go home. I want my mom. Please, don’t laugh. I didn’t mean to do it. I can’t control it. I’m doing my best, please. I can’t feel my legs. All those puddles were my fault. It’s disgusting. I’m disgusting. Everything I do is wrong. Shiro, don’t kick me off the team! I just want to go HOME!_

He doesn’t remember when he fell, but Lance found himself kneeling on the ground with his head tucked tightly down into his lap. His body screamed in pain, but he couldn’t find the voice to yell. All he could think about was how pathetic he looked in front of the defenders of the universe. He’d have to find somewhere else to go when Shiro kicked him off the team. 

Lance heard everyone run up to him, accompanied by voices that he couldn’t understand. They stood in a circle around him and it felt like the walls were closing in. There seemed to be no air coming into his lungs as his entire body tensed up. Lance realized then that he had stopped breathing. With his friends surrounding him, there didn’t seem to be any air left to take in.

A new warmth spurted in his between in legs, heating the freezing wetness already soaked into his pants. The corners of his mouth twitched, almost turning into a smile of exasperation. He wasn’t done. Of course he wasn’t done. This was his life now. He felt a small stream of urine leak out from the seat of his pants and form an expanding puddle under him.

Hunk’s voice broke out in sudden clarity among the static.

“...oh, Lance.” Hunk whispered.

All the air rushed into his mouth in a loud gasp. His face burned and tears began to fill his eyes.

Lance let out a loud sob.

He continued to cry into the ground, not daring to look up into the eyes of his teammates. His mind already spun with images of their disgusted and disappointed faces. His whole body shook from fear and pain and his crying only got louder with each sob. He couldn’t hear anything but an echo of his own weeping in the large room. Breathing was getting difficult again, and Lance started to gasp between his cries. It did very little to help; any air that entered him never seemed to touch his lungs.

A warm hand on Lance’s back reminded him of the world outside his panic. He violently winced away from the touch. They were still here. They were still staring. They were still disappointed.

_I have to get away. I have to leave before they laugh._

Lance’s body creaked as he shifted around, trying to get the feeling back in his legs. As soon as his legs twitched in response, he used all the strength he could muster to slowly push himself up from the ground. Never lifting his head, Lance’s knees shook like a newborn deer. He could see the blurry figure of his friends around him as he swayed. One reached out for him and Lance froze.

Then he booked it. With his throbbing shoulder tightly being held by his other hand, Lance ran past the figures and towards the door. Slamming his better half into the entrance, Lance forced his way out of the room and kept running. He barely heard someone call out, but it only made him run faster. His body screamed at him to stop, but his legs didn’t listen. His feet slapped loudly against the ground as he turned into hallways and propelled himself deeper into the castle. With no idea where he was going, Lance just let his body to lead the way. 

The pain became too much, and eventually Lance found himself leaning against a wall, trying to catch his breath. He could feel his knees beginning to buckle. His eyes began to roll back as his head spun. His body felt like it was about to break and his vision was only getting darker and darker. 

Just as Lance started to accept this new unconscious state, a deafening roar cleared his crowded mind. Lance’s head shot up. He felt a tingling in his body and a breath of fresh air filled his lungs.

Blue was calling for him.

\---

Lance couldn’t bring himself sit in the pilot’s chair. Between his soaked jeans and damaged pride, he passed by the seat and instead curled up on the floor, underneath the controls. He got into the fetal position, and he pressed his back against the wall. He felt the heavy purrs of his lion vibrate through the walls.

Blue wasn’t mad at him.

She seemed to be far from it; she was parked with her mouth wide open, waiting for Lance to enter. His chest flooded with relief. After all those days isolated in his room, it never occurred for him to turn to Blue for help. He was certain that she would have her shields up to keep him and his puddles out. As soon as they saw each other though, Lance felt that same strong pull that he did the day they met.

Even when he was curled up on her floor, Blue sent calming waves to his mind and purred in rhythm with his breathing to help him with his previous gasping. His pain even seemed to have subsided quickly, which was unusual. Each wave through his body numbed the horrific aching of his injuries. He was pretty sure that something was torn in his shoulder, but he welcomed the lack of the sensation. What Lance still felt was dizzy as he came down from his earlier panic but for the moment, everything seemed to be ok. Blue’s spirit was warm and comforting, just like his mom’s. He wanted more than anything to be there right now, but at the same time, he wasn’t ready to leave space. That wasn’t up to him anymore though. It was up to his team if they wanted to keep him. Lance doubted that though.

“...I don’t deserve you, beautiful.” Lance barely heard his own voice, but he could feel a small smile tugging on the corners of his mouth. For the first time in the last few days, he didn’t feel so alone, but it only made him feel guilty. He was gross and childish. There was no reason for anyone to care about him. Blue didn’t seem to agree with this, and purred extra intensely, vibrating Lance’s body. It made Lance softly gasp, but he had to laugh at the scolding. He welcomed any kind of interaction right now.

“H-Hey, don’t be sassy…” Lance croaked, small tears gathering in his eyes again. “It’s true…”

Lance no longer felt the spiraling panic he did earlier; his mind felt clear and he wasn’t hyperventilating anymore. This didn’t change his thoughts though. He knew he messed up big time and completely humiliated himself in front of the entire team. The dried urine on his itchy legs and weak whimpering had reminded him of that. There was no going back from that. It was a known fact now that Lance couldn’t keep his pants dry. He was a joke to his friends before. but now he couldn’t be considered potty-trained. It was a matter of time before he was laughed off the team and forced to give up his girl. 

Blue’s purrs turned into a low growl and she vibrated again, disagreeing. Lance shook his head slowly as he curled up tighter in a ball. Slow tears dripped off his face and gently hit the ground. Even with the numbing waves from Blue, Lance’s head spun with exhaustion and shame. Past memories of his dramatics made him cringe. He used to want so badly for people to notice him, but currently he’d be happy to just disappear. Lance wanted people to like him more than he wanted attention. He wanted Keith’s respect and Hunk’s friendship. He wanted to be like a big brother to Pidge. He wanted Allura and Coran to take him seriously as a paladin. He wanted Shiro to like him.

He wanted his whole team to like him, but Lance could feel the eggshells surrounding him since day one. It only got worse from there, and there was no chance they would forgive him now.

Sleep had been difficult when he was alone, and it seemed that it finally had caught up to him as he lied inside his lion. His wet eyes drooped. Blue’s purrs lulled him into sleep.

In the fetal position and in dirty jeans, Lance drifted off, enjoying those couple of hours with Blue.

\---

Before Lance could open his eyes, he felt two things, neither of which were the floor of his lion. The first thing he had felt was a pulsating pain in different parts of his body. Blue’s numbing vibes seemed to no longer be present and the tear in Lance’s shoulder was throbbing at full force. He cried out involuntarily into the darkness and tried to curl back up into his ball. This was stopped by the second sensation he felt.

He was being carried bridal-style by someone firm. His limp legs bounced along with each step. It made him feel like a ragdoll. It felt as if each limb weighed fifty pounds and Lance couldn’t even imagine fighting against the hold he was in.

“Nnn...no...what…?” Lance babbled quietly as he cracked open an eye. His vision was blurred, but he was able to make out a head of black hair with a white tuff. Lance’s heart sank.

“...S-Shiro?” 

Shiro’s face became clearer as the man continued to stare forward with an emotionless expression. 

_Where’s he taking me? What’s he doing? Let me down. Please, don’t be mad. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!_

Lance’s breath hitched. He could feel panicked tears gathering in his eyes as anxiety filled in his chest. This resulted in a series of pathetic whimpers escaping through Lance’s lips. This seemed to catch Shiro’s attention and he finally looked down at the boy in his arms.

To his surprise, Shiro smiled at him warmly. Lance hadn’t seen an expression like that in a long time.

“Don’t worry, buddy. I’ve got you.” Shiro whispered.

Lance could only blink dumbly in response before he slowly closed his eyes and allowed his head to roll back. Unconsciousness greeted him again.

_This must be a dream._


End file.
